Elite: Dangerous is within sniffing distance of its target - but also its end, when January 4th has run its course in the UK. At 2am Jan 2, it's at £1,175,351 of its goal of £1,250,000. (Bear in mind, the minimum pledge is only £1 - it's just that the various levels offer all sorts of nifty goodies, including the soundtrack, shirt, copy of the novel, some starting bonuses in-game, all expansions, and participation in the alpha or beta testing) Scrub that: some 18 hours later, it became fully funded! At least, for its initial goal. Now to see about Mac support, and ten extra ships to play with. ^_^ (Thursday 1pm: it's at £1,299,724!)

One animated feature I'll be looking forward to in 2013 is Ernest & Célestine (IMDb); in this clip, in which Célestine objects to Ernest's plan for her. True, it's from a press release, but the US distributor's president seems sold: "The film is a triumph of 2D animation and storytelling. A phenomenally beautiful hand painted watercolor design, immensely likable characters, a wonderful ‘friendship against all odds’ story that sweeps you up and does not waste a single minute of screen time. It is just overflowing with warmth and playful visual humor, there is so, so much to like about this movie."

So, I finally got to see Rise of the Guardians. ^_^ Whilst the plot was a bit lacking, I thoroughly enjoyed the characters (particularly the Russian style Santa, and of course, the Easter Bunny <3), and the visual creativity. The casting was likewise spot on. Despite the plot, the storyline nonetheless had a magnificent sense of playfulness, in its brighter times, making it a real joy to experience. I wasn't a fan of its hyperkinetic camerawork, but its positives easily outweighed such reservations - if you've not seen it yet, and could do with something to buoy up your spirits, see it. Or, indeed, to see Bunnymunde. =:9

Here's a good article that summarises just why the Daily Mail is so poisonous, leading in with a recent story on the UK about to be deluged by Bulgarians and Romanians. No, really: "We're on our way to Britain: A year from now up to 29m Bulgarians and Romanians will have the right to settle in Britain and claim benefits. And these gypsies in the slums of Sofia can hardly wait…"

I was almost tempted to pick up Prometheus on iTunes, at $14.99/£9.99 for HD, but then discovered that the "digital copy" on the physical discs - which come with a lot more extras - apparently include iTunes codes! (Though there seems to be some confusion as to whether those are good for HD or SD)

Taking a small survey from Premier Guitar could win you a 32GB iPad mini, preloaded with three of their guitar apps. Open worldwide.

So, the Yule/New Year break is over, and the house is back to normal. As is, I'm pleased to note, the diet, which I duly resumed on Wednesday, unaltered and in full effect. ^_^ (I have not, however, dared weigh myself again. Not just yet =:)